Study Background and Disease Burden
Obesity represents a major global health challenge, significantly increasing morbidity and mortality by elevating the risk for cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and certain cancers. Despite lifestyle interventions such as diet and physical activity being foundational to obesity management, sustained weight reduction is often difficult to achieve. Pharmacologic options, including glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists, have emerged as effective treatments. These agents leverage the incretin pathway to reduce appetite and improve metabolic parameters. However, most currently available GLP-1 receptor agonists are peptide-based and require subcutaneous injection, which may limit their acceptance and adherence among patients. Orforglipron is a small-molecule, nonpeptide oral GLP-1 receptor agonist developed to address these limitations, potentially expanding therapeutic accessibility and compliance for obesity management.
